


Jump In

by ambersagen



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Fluff, Human AU, M/M, fall fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-23 22:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2558360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambersagen/pseuds/ambersagen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on a tumblr prompt of fall AU's that goes something like "I just saw my grown-ass neighbor jump in a pile of leaves and now we are both embarrassed"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Jump In

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Fall, my favorite time of year.

Clear fall days were the best car wash days as far as Dean was concerned. He threw open the garage door, the sunny day greeting him as he stepped out to survey his yard. It was perfect. Fall brought last chances with its gift of mild weather. He had mowed the grass the week previous, probably the last time he would get to work on it beyond leaf raking.

 

Speaking of…Dean blinked. His neighbor was actually in his front yard, in a full suit, raking leaves with a garden hoe.

 

The garden hoe was weird, but it was even stranger to see his neighbor at all. Dean could count on one hand the number of times he had talked to the guy. Once, when he had just moved to the neighborhood after Sam had decided to stay in Cali rather than come back to Kanas to settle, Castiel had helped him move a couch. It had been awkward. Dean had been cussing up a storm, trying to inch along a three person sofa over to his front door.

 

All by himself.

 

He had been wondering why the hell he had thought he would need a three person couch when he couldn’t even get anyone to help him move some damned furniture. Then, spooky as fuck, Castiel had popped out of nowhere, determinedly grabbing a corner and helping Dean to wiggle it through the door. With the couch in place, the two had stood, panting and staring at each other. Just as Dean was about to gather his wits and offer the guy a glass of water, Castiel had said “You had better get help next time.” and then he had left, just as abruptly as he came.

 

He hadn’t even introduced himself, Dean had learned his name a week later when he had received the wrong mail one morning. Castiel had merely stared at the mail, then stared at the outstretched arm holding the mail, and then at Dean, who at this point was as red as a strawberry from all the scrutiny. With a grave “Thank you, Dean,” Castiel had taken the mail and shut the door right in Dean’s face, leaving him with whiplash and confused thoughts. How did the guy know his name?

 

Since then, Dean had seen him once or twice, getting in and out of his car at odd times of the night, effectively killing all of Dean’s hopes of making a friend. That had been over a year ago. Dean hadn’t made any other friends since then, but that night have had something to do with the general moroseness and homesick mopping he had been indulging in.

 

But here was Castiel, standing in his yard in the middle of the day, glaring at a smallish pile of leaves and grass and dirt that he had managed to churn together with his hoe. Leaning back on the side of the garage, Dean watched as Castiel stomped over to the side of his house reappearing a moment later, not with a leaf rake, but with a yard stick. Car wash forgotten, Dean stared, caught up in the little drama playing out before him as his neighbor began measuring his leaf pile. Castiel stared at the yard stick, checking it for who knows what parameters.

 

Seemingly satisfied with whatever he had been looking at, Castiel dropped the yard stick and took a dozen steps back toward his house before suddenly sprinting forward and slamming himself into the pile.

 

There was a muffled thump as the much too small pile of leaves and dirt barely cushioned the guy's dive at all.

 

Dean stared in shock as the stunned form of his neighbor lay there on the ground, a few leaves settling on his back.

 

"Ouch." Castiel said, voice strained.

 

Dean laughed, then choked in surprise as Castiel raised his head, making direct eye contact across the leaf littered asphalt of the street. Dean was suddenly very conscious of the fact that he was apparently standing at the edge of the driveway now, laughing at his crazy neighbor for face-planting into the world's saddest pile of leaves.

 

Dean cleared his throat, embarrassed.

 

Castiel dragged himself up, tripping a little on his coat as he rose, brushing leaves off himself as his face turned as red as Dean's felt.

 

"That was not as pleasurable as I always thought it would be."

 

Dean slapped a hand over his mouth as another laugh bubbled out. What the fuck was wrong with him?

 

"Uhm, you're kind of doing it wrong, dude."

 

"What?" Castiel's frown was all scrunchy, pulling up his nose with confusion.

 

"Uhm," Good job, Winchester. Real eloquent. He stepped forward, hand reaching out of its own accord to grab Castiel's sleeve.

 

He dragged him to the garage, forgetting the whole reason he had the thing open to begin with. "Look," Dean reached up to pull a real rake down. "You can't make a leaf pile with a hoe rake. You need a broad, light rake like this."

 

Solemnly, Castiel reached out, taking the rake from Dean and examining it intently.

 

"Uh, ok. Now we need some leaves I guess."

 

Taking Castiel by the sleeve again, Dean led him out of the garage and around the house to the backyard. His backyard had two large trees, planted side by side near a fire pit that he hadn't yet had any chance to use.

 

"So," he surveyed the yard. It was kind of a mess, now that he looked at it. "To make a real leaf pile you just rake up the leaves. Make it bigger than the one you made though!"

 

Obediently, Castiel began to rake, immediately getting the rake stuck on a fallen branch.

 

"Shit," Dean moved to untangle the branch from the rake prongs. "Sorry, I haven't really had time to work back here much. I guess it got a bit wild."

 

"There do seem to be a lot of sticks and rocks on the grass," Castiel observed, calmly, as if some crazy guy hadn't just dragged him off to teach him how to make the best pile of leaves ever in a totally unsuitable environment. "Perhaps we could relocate the branches to the fire pit?"

 

"You don't need to-" Dean started, but Castiel was already handing him the rake and stooping to pick up the branch Dean had just freed. With an embarrassed huff, Dean leaned the rake against the nearest tree and got to work throwing shit in the fire pit.

 

The work went surprisingly fast between the two of them, only getting sidetracked once upon Dean's discovery of a terrifying gnome statue left by the home's previous residents. Eventually, as the air started to cool in with the onset of late afternoon, they managed to clear the yard. All the leaves loomed in one of the most impressive leaf piles Dean had ever seen.

 

"Damn," he said, grinning over at Castiel.

 

"I agree," said Castiel, eyes bright as he admired their work.

 

"So, uhh...enjoy?" Dean made an awkward bow, gesturing towards the pile.

 

Castiel blinked for a second, then smiled. He reached out, grabbed Dean's arm. He then took a running, stumbling leap into the pile, dragging a shocked Dean right along with him. With a yelp, Dean landed in the pile, leaves flying everywhere as he and Castiel sank in. Castiel was laughing, flailing around in the leaves as he rolled over onto his back.

 

Dean laughed too, flopping over to stare up at the sky as he let himself enjoy the feel of leaves cushioning him and crackling under his body.

 

"Well?" he asked after they had settled into a peaceful silence. "How would you rate your leaf pile experience now?"

 

Castiel turned, rolling over slightly onto his shoulder to stare at Dean. "That was amazing. Thank you Dean."

 

Dean blushed, squirming a bit under the adoration in Castiel’s voice. “Why were you even doing this anyway?” he asked. “I mean, it’s a bit weird for a grown-ass man to jump in leaves.”

 

“Is it?” Castiel asked. “I’ve never done this before.”

 

Dean snorted. “Yeah, obviously.”

 

Castiel just smiled serenely. “I was just trying something new. I thought it was time to do new things. Things I have always wanted to do.” He paused.

 

“Dean,” He said, suddenly serious. “Would you like to go out with me?”

 

Dean blinked at him, noticing the way his hair had flopped over into his face, the slight red tinge to his cheeks from the cold or perhaps from laughing.

 

“Yes.”

 

At this answer Cas smiled, leaning in to press his forehead against Dean’s.

 

“So,” Dean breathed against Cas’ brow. “Things you always wanted to do?”

 

“That’s right.”

 

“So the leaves?”

 

“As I said, I have never had the opportunity before. My childhood was lacking, to put it mildly.”

 

“And the date?” Dean prompted.

 

“Since you moved in.”

 

“Wow,” Dean leaned back, leaves crunching as he did. “You really suck at letting a guy know you wanna get in his pants. I thought you hated me.”

 

Cas blushed, fingers raking through the leaves between them as he drew the lines across their faces. “I was shy. The most attractive man I had ever seen had moved in next door and I didn’t even know if you were single.”

 

“Dude,” Dean said indignantly, reaching out to grab Cas’ hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I can’t believe you let me run around free and easy with no friends of sex for a year before you got the balls to ask me out.”

 

Cas squeezed back, eyes laughing as he leaned in. “Let me make it up to you.” He said, his voice a husky rumble as he closed the distance between their lips.

 

With a sigh, Dean kissed back. _“Fuck yeah,”_ he thought as Cas gently nipped at his lip. _“I knew today was going to be perfect.”_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hello. I am a lonely person.  
> ambersagen.tumblr.com


End file.
